In The Beginning, There Was You

Here is one of the worst things about having someone you love die: It happens again every single morning.—Anna Quindlen

—Kay’s Journals dating back to 1985.

In the beginning, there was you.

You loving me. You interwoven inside my being.

You never judging my bad judgment. You hurrying to my house on 61st and Cody when I lost my job, my uterus, my mind.

You soothing, encouraging, inspiring, grabbing my hand and whispering, “Lets give it to the King, Kimmy.” And we’d hold hands while you prayed.– “God, show my sister the true healer, the ultimate physician.”

That face smiling massively as I pulled up in my Kia for our weekend walks on the Waterfront Trail. That face standing on my front porch Christmas Eve holding your famous overflowing with bacon-molasses-baked beans. That face laughing so hard and fiercely that you peed your pants when you poured two cups of salt into your cake mixture instead of two cups of sugar, then asking, ever-so-sweetly, “Is that too salty?”

O’ God O’ God O’ God

It’s been a time of shitty shadows & sharp claws.

It’s been a time of reflection & vibrant light.

I miss telling you my secrets.

For example, I went quite insane after your execution. I tried to become an alcoholic, but I hated not remembering. I tried to become suicidal, but the love on earth was more powerful than death. I tried reading your journals, but every page, every sentence was fire and remorse and discontentment.

I wrote words to fill the void. I wrote syllables to ease the sting. I fucking wrote

I kept writing and writing until even my organs emptied out.

There will never be enough words to make me whole again.

I love you I love you I love you I miss you I miss you I miss you

Sometimes when I’m lying in bed, my heart thrusts so loudly that it startles me.

I know it’s a reminder, just in case I’ve forgotten, that I’m Alive.

And here’s another secret you may not know, Kay; I’m living without you, but you’re still here, your soft pink cheek pressed against my cheek.

You see, that’s the thing about dying, you’re never really gone. The love remains inside, outside, and in-between everything you do.

I find that astonishingly, amazingly beautiful. Don’t you?

—–Dear, Readers, do you have a story to tell about survival & moving forward after a tragedy turned your world upside down? My Inner Chick is accepting 500 word submissions until February 15. Click HERE for More Info!

As always hurting for you, hurting with you.
She is not gone, never gone while you remember her. But at the same time she IS gone. And it fucking hurts.
Hugs and love.Elephant’s Child recently posted..Sunday Selections #208

Joe Peterson

I know Kay would be so proud of how well you have coped with the ongoing grieving process and she would feel so incredibly honoured at how you have done so much to keep her memory alive xxHotly Spiced recently posted..Riri Blue Hole, Santo, Vanuatu

Kim, your words move me to tears. The loss is never ending. I love that Anna Quindlen quote. It’s so true—you wake up in the morning and then remember—why it hurts. <3 xoxoxlisa thomson-the great escape recently posted..Is Your Fear Holding You Back?

It took me ten years to realize I had fallen apart
It took me ten years to realize I had become a different person; a worse one
It took me ten years to meet the only other person who would ever “get me” (I didn’t think this was possible)
It took me ten years to finally say “fuck you” to a universe of others’ expectations; all but hers, that is

In two weeks, it will have been eleven years, and there is still no way to justify the loss—there is still no silver lining, There never will be. But, I’ve finished my novel and my first professional photo shoot, married the man of every dream I’ve ever had, stopped sweating. Yes, she would be proud—very much so—but more importantly, she would be happy, deeply happy to see her baby sister finally thriving.

I’ve decided to let myself hurt again, to feel the intricacies of her loss instead of pretending; that I’m alright without her; that I’ll stop missing her; that I’ll eventually become a pillar of strength; that I’ll stop crying. Some people are indelible—leaving marks we would’t erase if we could, even if it meant erasing our pain.

That’s the truth, Kim. It is not just every morning, it is random moments throughout the day. Heart nudges when they’re least expected. But you know what? I’ve learned to enjoy those. Because I often feel safe in there.

I feel your pain, right down into my soul. I will never say to you, ‘it will get better’. You and I both know, it won’t. Somehow, it will change with time. The pain will change, it will get bearable. Somehow, over time instead of shredding you it will blanket you and change your heart. In the meantime, as you embrace the change and write the words that fill all of us, I love you.

And THAT is the beautiful thing about the darkest dark in humanity… love remains, and perhaps? The power of that love is much stronger.

Every time you share about this precious relationship and deepest despair… I get another glimpse into the beauty of love’s passion. My heart always crumbles into pieces when I read and take in your grief, but the light with which you wrap it begs me to be drenched in the love.Chris Carter recently posted..Ten Tips For The Woman In A Leg Cast

Kim…
“You see, that’s the thing about dying, you’re never really gone. The love remains inside, outside, and in-between everything you do.”
I do find that astonishingly, amazingly beautiful. It’s beauty that’s so intense, it’s almost – almost – impossible to take in; to absorb; to embrace. And yet, when we allow ourselves to do so, it feels right and true and grace-full. xoxoEllen M. Gregg recently posted..Uningestible Essential Oils

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”
― Anne Lamottnan @ lbddiaries recently posted..Wonderful Wisdom from Winnie the Pooh

Sister love. I’ve never known that, Kim. But you make me long for that….Your words show how big your heart is and how much Kay was a part of it. Thanks for letting us into your heart and life and sharing Kay with us.Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..MLK Quote #MondayMusings #MicroblogMondays

Kim, your writing is powerful! I can almost feel Kay’s cheek against yours, almost taste that over-salted cake of hers. As awful as it is to lose someone we love, how much more awful would it be to forget these special times we shared, to fail to remember the way we felt when they were here? Hugs to you from Central Illinois (where there’s no snow on the ground right now!)Debbie recently posted..Feeling the Burn

They say that there is something more powerful than anything else Kim, Life. I believe it’s God acting through Life. Without God nothing is possible. How are you supposed to live again when the most precious person on earth is gone?
Love Love ane more Love from me to the Beautiful You.Marie recently posted..The next train

This is breathtakingly powerful. MY GOSH…I don’t even know what to say, except that I’m close to tears. Thank you so much for sharing.Shay from Trashy Blog recently posted..Trashy Shorts: Childhood Obesity

Sometimes when I’m driving I can almost see my Dad sitting beside me, it’s as if all I had to do is turn my head & he’d be there…. I swear he is there at times like that, he loved driving ….. just driving. Yep, I know what you mean, you know they are gone & you miss them, but all at the same time, they are there as if they’ve never left.shenANNAgans recently posted..Da Jie Famous Wanton Noodles – Singapore

The love remains inside, outside, and in-between….YES and in all of us. Every single one of us that comes upon this page – that reads her story, that spreads her story at our dinner tables or at work or at schools or at a hockey practice….Kim do you know how many ripples Kay’s story creates? She lives in Canada too. All around. Keep writing. We keep reading. We keep talking. We all keep saving together xoxo

Hi Kim, it’s got to be one of the toughest things to lose a sibling. Reading your words makes me want to cherish the relationship I have with my brother & sister even more. I can only know that Kay was a super awesome being, by what I know of you! As always sending love & hope that your journey continues to inspire others to make a change in their lives…

Ps, my little sister baked a cake when she was 5, with the infamous sugar/salt ratio as you describe. The look on our faces as we spat that chocolate cake out was hilarious!!! Plus completely unforgettable too 😉Alice recently posted..English muffin recipe